Recommendation: This chapter's recommended fic is "C'est La Vie" by cywscross. Unfinished and, sadly, perhaps abandoned. After losing everything in the fight against Voldemort, Harry accepts an offer to be transported to an alternate universe where he can start over as a student again. In this universe, Neville is the Boy Who Lived, Harry's parents are alive, and his alternate self is a massive git. Will his hero complex kick in? Why, of course it will….
Chapter 54 - It's My Life
Saturday, March 27, 1995, Morning.
Relations between Jasmine and Hermione were strained during breakfast. Everyone saw it, but no one knew quite what to do. It wasn't as bad as what had happened between them prior to the Yule Ball, but Jasmine was very firm in telling people that she didn't want to talk about it, while Hermione just looked nervous. Eventually their friends decided to let them work it out themselves, whatever "it" was.
Finally, Jasmine whispered to Hermione to meet her on the seventh floor when she was done, then left early. The brunette witch didn't waste any time rushing through the rest of her meal, then she practically ran up to the seventh floor, arriving at the Room of Requirement very shortly after Jasmine had.
Seeing that her green-eyed girlfriend was still visibly agitated, she approached nervously and said, "Jasmine, I'm really sorry for giving you the impression that I wasn't on your..."
Jasmine held up a hand to stop her. "I know, I was really angry and was a bit too short with you."
"Then... why wouldn't you talk to me last night?" Hermione asked, both hurt and upset.
Jasmine sighed. "Because while I was a bit too short with you, I also wasn't entirely wrong. I know you're on my side, but you weren't really acting like it — or at least it didn't seem like it to me — and I needed to get some distance from your enthusiasm for this little project in order to think about it. And to think about myself."
Jasmine started pacing back and forth as she continued. "I'm still not sure I want to get involved in this, especially in the way they want me to. At the same time, I can see the group's value and would feel bad if my absence made it less likely to succeed." Jasmine stopped to look at Hermione. "And do you have any idea how that makes me feel? To know that by simply not wanting to get involved, not wanting to feel used, or wanting to instead spend time on me or us, I may be dooming the efforts of something so valuable and important? Why is it always me sacrificing for the magical world — my parents, my childhood, my safety? What's next? Am I supposed to walk out and take a killing curse to the face to save a magical society that's never respected or liked me?"
Jasmine was really starting to rant by this point, so Hermione surged forward and wrapped her in a tight hug. "Oh, Jasmine, I'm so sorry. I never thought about what sort of pressure that would put you under! You shouldn't have to bear the weight of other's hopes and dreams like that."
"And I don't want to, Hermione," she said more gently into her girlfriend's hair. "It's like I'm never given time to figure out who I am and what I want — something that's even more important now that I have you."
"But how do you intend to go about that?" Hermione asked as she leaned back a little to look the other witch in the eye.
"What do you mean?" Jasmine said.
"Well, if you didn't have any of these other pressures, what would you do? Sit in a dark room and meditate?"
"Uh..." Jasmine said, suddenly unable to think of anything.
"I don't know of anyone who would succeed that way, and you least of all," Hermione said. "You need to be doing things. Who's to say that a group like this isn't an excellent thing to do to help you learn more about yourself?"
Jasmine frowned and said, "You're not trying to trick me into…."
"No!" Hermione said quickly. "Not at all! I'm just trying to point out that what you want isn't mutually exclusive with getting involved with something like this. It all depends on how you get involved."
"How..." Jasmine said slowly, "as in, not letting myself be controlled and used by others, for example?"
"Exactly," Hermione said. "And while I think we can trust our friends to not do such things deliberately, they might end up doing something along those lines inadvertently. But it's up to you to set limits and to insist that your participation be on your own terms. Otherwise, you'll end up being a tool that others use to fulfill their needs."
"OK," Jasmine said with a growing smile. "Let's talk about what I might get out of such an organization — and how I would benefit from playing an important role."
Elsewhere in the castle, Albus Dumbledore and Minerva McGonagall were having a similarly important discussion about a closely related topic, albeit without all the kissing and cuddling.
"What is it you wanted to see me about, Albus?" the stern Transfiguration professor asked. He didn't miss her cool demeanor, something that had been slipping into her conversations with him more and more in recent weeks. He had a good idea of why, but he had no idea yet of what to do about it.
"I'm concerned about Miss Potter," he explained, not bothering to offer her a sherbet lemon.
"Anything in particular?" she asked, still cooly.
"Quite a few things," he admitted, "but there's one issue in particular that I wanted to address before too much time passes. Were you aware of her having grown so unhappy that she was thinking about leaving Britain?"
"No," McGonagall responded, "she's never said anything to me about leaving the country. I first heard about that in your office the other day when you did."
Dumbledore noticed a frown that appeared and disappeared almost as quickly from her face, suggesting that she was indeed telling the truth and wasn't happy about having been kept in the dark. "So you have no idea how serious she might be in her intentions?" When she shook her head, he went on, "I cannot tell you how imperative it is that she remain in Britain. We must find out how serious she is and take steps to convince her to stay."
McGonagall raised one eyebrow in curiosity and said, "Really? I will admit that I'd be saddened to see her leave, but I'm not sure how her staying could be so critical."
"The wizards and witches of Britain would not accept the Girl Who Lived leaving our shores," Dumbledore responded.
"I'm sure they'll get over it," McGonagall said dryly. "As it is, they have little or no contact with her and seem entirely unconcerned with her wellbeing. After a few years, I expect many will completely forget about her."
Dumbledore frowned slightly, knowing that what she said was true and that he might have been able to prevent that. Unfortunately, keeping her from growing up with a swelled head due to her celebrity status also came with some negative consequences that he was only now starting to understand. "You'll have to trust me on this, Minerva," he said firmly. "She is vital to the future of wizarding Britain, and we cannot afford to lose her. Will you make inquiries with her to find out just how serious she may be? I'd ask her myself, but given the tenor of our most recent interactions, I'm not sure she'd open up to me very readily."
McGonagall considered it, then said, "I'll ask, Albus, but only because I'm curious myself. I won't push her, and if she asks that I keep her answer in confidence, I'll do so."
Dumbledore nodded sadly, knowing that he wouldn't get any more out of her. Perhaps she's been doing more with Miss Potter and Miss Granger than just working on the tournament? he wondered. Or perhaps working so much on the tournament has simply made them closer?
"Do you know anything new about You-Know-Who?" McGonagall asked.
"I suppose I can tell you now, since you ask," Dumbledore replied, "though I intend to share this with others as well once we find a place for the Order to meet."
"Still no luck on that?" she asked.
Dumbledore shook his head. "I'm going to have to write to Sirius Black to see if he can help. I should probably get that out today because it will take a while for any message to reach him, and then more time for a response to return.
"Severus was finally called to his side on Wednesday evening," the headmaster continued, "a week after that horrible ritual, and didn't come back until Thursday morning, barely in time to make his first class. Voldemort is… quite displeased about Miss Potter getting away. His wrath against his servants was evidently quite terrible, and Severus spent much of this time administering potions in an effort to help them."
"How sad," McGonagall drawled. Dumbledore nodded as if he thought her sympathy were genuine.
"Fortunately, Severus was able to convince Voldemort that he is still loyal," Dumbledore went on, "and so he will still be able to spy for us, though he will apparently have to be especially cautious for a while, just in case he arouses suspicion too soon."
"Why am I not surprised?" McGonagall muttered. A bit louder, she asked, "What about Lucius Malfoy?"
"He is... not in very good shape," Dumbledore said slowly. "Voldemort was especially angry with Lucius for some reason, more so than he was with his other servants. Miss Potter's fire spell burned him quite badly, and while the burn scars could probably be healed because they are not cursed with dark magic, Voldemort refuses to let him do so. He apparently wants Lucius to keep them as a reminder of his failures."
"How bad are the burns?" McGonagall asked.
"Quite serious, apparently," Dumbledore answered. "Severus refused to describe them in detail, but I think it's safe to say that Lucius' famous good looks are no more." He paused for a moment before adding, "You mustn't tell young Mr. Malfoy, I'm afraid. Severus was given strict instructions to say nothing, not even whether Lucius is alive. Apparently, he's not happy with Draco, either, for some reason."
McGonagall nodded, noting that she wasn't told to keep the information from Miss Potter and wondering if that was deliberate or an oversight.
Sunday, March 28, 1995, Morning.
Sirius sat considering at the letter from Albus Dumbledore and wondered just how long he could plausibly delay replying. Dumbledore thought he was hiding in another part of the world, so that gave him a bit of time — and he needed all the time he could get. Dumbledore's request was not only reasonable because a base of operations against Voldemort was necessary, but it was useful as well because it would allow him to keep a closer eye on what Dumbledore and his followers were doing.
But he still needed time. Even though he had already suspected that this request might come after he had heard about what happened to Jasmine, he needed more time to start implementing his mother's plans. He knew he wouldn't be able to get nearly as much done once Dumbledore and others were walking in and out of the house freely. He'd have to ward a couple of rooms against anyone without Black blood, but that wouldn't be enough for him to continue on has he had been.
Unfortunately, Dumbledore had worded the request as being critical to helping protect Jasmine against Voldemort, so there was no way that he could create delays through negotiating for something in return, like maybe a trial. No, anything short of instantly leaping to be of service would be perceived as suspicious, so once he sent in his reply, he'd be committed. No more than a month after that… maybe two, tops, he concluded.
Sirius returned to the list of plans his mother had given him to work on — plans that had been moved up once she had learned of Voldemort's return and which now had to be advanced even more quickly. As he read through them again, he once again wondered what her real game might be. He approved of everything and wished that he'd thought of it himself, but he was still suspicious. Expelling Bellatrix and Narcissa? Reinstating Andromeda and her family? All great ideas, even if odd coming from a blood purist like Walburga Black. Even naming Jasmine as his heir if he never had children sounded like a good idea.
The problem was, he didn't see anything that would help Jasmine as much as his mother suggested. That meant they probably served other goals, too — and he knew very well that it was normal for his mother's plans to have plans within plans. There was never just a single goal being pursued, but rather multiple goals — and ways for them to all be achieved no matter what the outcome of individual events. So what are you really plotting, mother? he wondered.
Perhaps it was the time in Azkaban, but he couldn't think of anything. Nothing good, nothing bad... nothing. Well, at least none of this looks like it would hurt me or Jasmine, he decided. Whatever her other goals may be, I'll just have to deal with them as they come.
With that, he picked up a quill and began writing some very formal letters to Gringotts in order to get some of the legal parchment work started. Afterwards, he'd discuss with his mother how to set up the house so that it would continue to look like an abandoned dark house, recently re-inhabited, while making it possible to monitor everything and everyone.
Sunday, March 28, 1995, Afternoon.
"The headmaster wanted me to ask some questions of you," Minerva said without preamble as she sat down for tea with Jasmine and Hermione. "He's very interested in how serious you are about leaving Britain. I told him I'd ask, but that I'd only share with him if you didn't talk to me in the expectation that I'd keep your confidence." After pausing for a moment, she added in a softer voice, "And on a personal note, I must admit that I'm curious about the answer to that as well. I was quite surprised to hear you declare that in the headmaster's office the other day. Are things really that bad for you?"
Jasmine clearly felt bad about having sprung that information on her professor in such an abrupt manner, but Hermione jumped in to respond first. "Professor, what answer would be best for Jasmine?" At McGonagall's questioning look, she explained, "Which answer would gain her the most with him: that she's very serious, or just idly thinking about it? Which answer would cause him to make the most trouble for her?"
"Ah," Minerva said, leaning back in her chair to give that some thought. "It's hard to say for sure, but I can tell you that he seems almost desperate to keep you in Britain. So if he can't achieve that through reasonable, legal means, he might try something that you won't like."
Hermione nodded and said, "So either he should think that she's not very serious, or he should think she is if we can also get him to give her something in return for staying — something that he's willing to give up and which helps her."
"That's possible," McGonagall said carefully, "but it comes close to blackmailing the headmaster, which would be rather dangerous. He's been playing politics and doing deals for much, much longer than you've been alive, young lady."
"Oh, I know," Hermione said, "and I wouldn't suggest it unless it were for the sake of something really important... and I'm not sure if there is anything. What do you think, Jasmine?"
Jasmine, who had been surprised at Hermione's very sneaky idea, thought about it for a moment before saying, "I don't know if there is much he could do for me — at least, if we exclude all of the stuff that we're not supposed to know about or be questioning. Maybe getting me away from the Dursleys? Or getting Sirius a trial?"
Minerva shook her head and said, "I wouldn't expect any concessions there. He has always been adamant about you living with the Dursleys, and I don't see him being able to push for a trial for your godfather any time soon. There would be too much opposition from other quarters."
Jasmine sighed and said, "OK, then let's save that. You can tell him that I'm not very serious... not yet, at least. I have been thinking about it because of all of the things that have been done to me. If things continue to be done to me, I'll be thinking about it all the harder. At some point, I'll probably be pushed over the edge. Maybe that will give him some incentive to actually protect and help me."
Minerva nodded at that, then said softly, "And is that the truth, lass? Has it been that bad?"
Jasmine slumped a bit in her seat and Hermione reached over to put her hand on her arm. "Sometimes, yes. It's just that whenever I look around at what I've gone through, I keep seeing lots of reasons to leave. Students shouldn't have to deal with basilisks, dementors, dark lords, and being hated by an entire school. Then, on the other hand... well, the other hand tends to keep coming up empty."
She tiredly raked her fingers through her hair before continuing, "No offense, professor, but I've never really felt like a part of this community, so I don't feel any strong reasons to stay. Frankly, staying is easier than leaving right now, and that's about it. Dumbledore seems to have been deliberately preventing me from getting attached to anything British, magical or muggle, and the end result is that now I feel like I can take it or leave it. I don't care about Britain much more than I do any other random country. If I think I'll have it better somewhere else, and if Hermione is willing to go with me, then I'll seriously look into leaving."
"Except for that last bit," Hermione said, "you can probably tell him that." Jasmine nodded in agreement. "Just between us, though," Hermione continued, "Jasmine has only mentioned it to me once, and we'd have to talk long and hard before making such a decision. I'll admit that I'm probably no more attached to magical Britain than she is, but I am attached to muggle Britain."
Minerva sighed as she nodded. "I understand," she said after a few moments. "It would be tragic if you were chased from our shores because the adults who were supposed to protect you all failed, but I can certainly understand your complaint. You need to do what's in your own best interests, not what others are demanding that you do."
"Thank you," Jasmine said, happy to see that her professor was willing to support her even in this.
"By the way," Minerva said, "the Headmaster has written to your godfather to ask if there were any properties that could be used for an organization that will oppose You-Know-Who. I assume you've already written to him?" When Jasmine nodded, she continued, "Then assuming he doesn't come rushing back, he'll get the Headmaster's letter shortly after yours and will probably return anyway."
Jasmine and Hermione gave each other a quick look, then Jasmine replied, "He, uh, may already be in Britain…." At her professor's inquiring look, she went on, "Well, if he were, I wouldn't necessarily want to tell you in case you were bound by any oaths to report such information."
"Hypothetically," Hermione quickly added.
"Yeah," Jasmine agreed, "hypothetically speaking."
Minerva smiled and said, "That's fine, and there are no oaths to worry about. Can I assume that your godfather will take his time in replying, giving the impression that he is still quite some distance away?"
"I wouldn't know," Jasmine said, "but that seems likely." Minerva nodded and thought about how this would affect the dynamics of the Order.
"Have you or the Headmaster heard anything new about the DMLE investigation? Or about what Voldemort has been doing?" Hermione asked.
After taking another sip of tea, Minerva replied, "The Headmaster has some sources of information. I can tell you, but you must keep it to yourselves." When they both agreed, she said, "Mr. Malfoy survived your attack, Miss Potter, but not unscathed. Apparently You-Know-Who won't let him heal his burn scars, forcing him to carry them as a reminder of his failures. You-Know-Who is also apparently quite upset with all of his followers, in fact. I don't think he's doing anything in particular yet, but it's only a matter of time. And I've heard nothing about the official investigation."
Hermione was aghast, but Jasmine had to work hard to suppress a smile. She had badly wanted to hurt Malfoy, and thought it ironically appropriate that Voldemort was helping her do it.
Wednesday, March 31, 1995, Night.
Before she could join her daughters in bed, Apolline was pulled aside by Adrienne, who said, "I've finally received a response from the Theledrion about my report on our experiences during Eostre."
"Oh?" Apolline responded. "That was faster than I expected. What did they have to say?"
Instead of answering, Adrienne looked uncomfortable for a moment, then handed the other woman a piece of parchment. "Here," she said, "it's better if you just read it yourself."
Apolline took the parchment somewhat apprehensively, wondering why the normally cool and collected Adrienne was acting this way. She read the parchment. Then she read it again. Finally, after a third read through, she let her hands drop and turned to Adrienne with an incredulous expression. "Are they serious?" she demanded.
Adrienne sighed and said, "Yes, they are. And when you think about it, this makes a disturbing amount of sense."
"Sense?" Apolline exclaimed. "How does this make sense? Sweet Morgana, this is madness!"
"Remember one of the most important things that we teach about prophecies," the older veela explained. "You can try to push them in one direction or another, but that always ends up making things worse for everyone. The best you can do is just 'go with the flow' — accept however a prophecy moves you and try to make the best of it."
"So... the Theledrion believes that what happened to us is part of the Great Prophecy," Apolline said slowly.
"Just about anything that happens around those two witches is plausibly a part of the Great Prophecy," Adrienne pointed out. "But the events during Eostre almost certainly were. They revealed their power. They revealed their ability to promote love and fertility. They were blessed by the goddesses, which is especially significant given the roles they played. They blessed us by sharing their power with us, enhancing our own experiences."
Apolline felt a wave of heat as she remembered those experiences; she was still amazed by them. Slowly she nodded, accepting the other witch's explanation. "That explains why the Theledrion isn't too bothered by what happened to us, I guess."
"Even our potentially divided loyalties may turn out to be for the best," Adrienne said. "Including the best for the veela over the long term. They won't punish or exile us, or anything of the kind. Since our interrogations of each other with veritaserum demonstrated that we wouldn't side with those two witches against the veela nation, the Theledrion has decided to accept it."
"But what about their proposal for Beltane?" Apolline demanded. "What happened to us was completely unforeseen! Unexpected! It was an accident! This," she slapped the parchment in her hand, "looks an awful lot like tampering!"
"It's true that their plans are... more difficult to justify," Adrienne said slowly. "But I think that their reasoning is that our having experienced such strong, positive magic during Eostre points to a massively positive outcome for a much larger Beltane celebration. You must understand that since what we experienced was unheard of, others are eager to have the chance to experience something similar, regardless of the possible consequences to their feelings of loyalty."
Apolline took a deep breath before saying, "OK, I can understand that, but what about our rules against interference?"
Adrienne shrugged. "Technically, none of this rises to the level of manipulation. No one is trying to push the prophecy to one outcome or another. No one is pushing either of the girls to do anything in particular — and certainly nothing that they haven't already done. It's just an expressed intention to join us in something that will already be happening. The event will be the same, but bigger. If it would cause a problem for the prophecy, then presumably they will be thwarted in their plans. If they do come and participate, then one can assume it fits with the path that the prophecy has them on, just as would be the case if you and I were the only other participants."
Apolline closed her eyes for a moment, apparently counting backwards while trying to calm down. "Fine, I can see where a simple difference in the number of participants won't necessarily amount to interfering with prophecy." Her control slipped a little. "But this! They want us to make a deal with the centaurs that reserves the ritual circle for three days. Three days! And they want the circle to be three times as big! It looks like most of the council and quite a few prominent members of our society will be here!"
Adrienne nodded. "There will be more veela here than Britain has ever seen before. I am confident that they will all manage to get here and participate, too. Your daughters are special in the context of the prophecy, so their participation is almost necessary. The rest of us are not so special, however, so I think that our choosing to offer such a public show of support for the Chosen Couple will elicit a spectacular response from the goddesses."
"And this is a good thing?" Apolline demanded.
"I don't know," Adrienne admitted with a shrug, then grinned. "But it's going to be a hell of a celebration."
Tuesday, April 6, 1995, Evening.
At the first study group meeting after Jasmine's two weeks of detention ended, there were a lot of happy and hopeful faces. The previous week it had been revealed that there was a lot of consistency in what witches wanted out of the proposed group: education about sex, female bodies, and feminine magic, mutual support for witches with problems, and advocacy for greater equality.
Now everyone was waiting to hear Jasmine's decision about what she would do. Daphne hadn't been exaggerating in describing Jasmine's importance: between the books and striking down Malfoy, she had quickly become something of a folk hero among Hogwarts witches. Her involvement would inspire others to believe that their group would be successful and reassure them that participation would be safe.
Unfortunately, convincing the Girl Who Lived to play a prominent role was proving more difficult than expected.
"I still haven't made my final decision on participating," Jasmine said to them all once she had their attention. "That's going to depend on all of you." At their confused looks, she continued, "I think you all know at least the basics of what I've gone through these past years at Hogwarts. Every year it somehow falls on me and my friends to risk our lives to save the school. It shouldn't be our responsibility, though. We're just students — we're the ones who should be protected, not the ones protecting everyone else."
The others nodded slowly at this, though not everyone had already recognized this problem. "And that's on top of being the Girl Who Lived, a symbol that people keep looking up to and praising for saving their society — a society I was prevented from even knowing about until I was eleven!" Now the others were getting a bit nervous, not expecting this much anger.
Jasmine took a couple of deep breaths to calm herself down. "There's no denying that the goals of the group would be good. They are something I support. But to become a symbol? To become a critical member that everyone looks up to? I hope you can all see how that looks to me like more of what I've been dealing with ever since I learned about magic... and how it's not something I'm happy about, especially having it suddenly dumped on me."
Hermione spoke up now, saying, "Remember that Jasmine lost her parents due to the ills of magical Britain, so she's been sacrificing everything near and dear to her since she was barely able to walk." Several students looked down at the table, feeling a bit embarrassed at having to be reminded of that. "So you can understand if she's more than a little reluctant to allow herself to be moved around like a chess piece in someone else's game."
"What is it you want, exactly?" Daphne asked, recognizing now that this was a negotiation rather than mere venting.
"As valuable as this group may be, I frankly have more immediate problems to deal with," Jasmine said. "Specifically, Voldemort." More than one person flinched at hearing the name.
"So you want to wait until after he's dealt with?" Daphne asked.
Jasmine shook her head. "On the contrary, I want the group to be part of the effort to deal with him."
"But... how?" Hannah asked. "They're completely unrelated. And what could we possibly do, anyway?"
"They're not directly related," Hermione said, "but they are connected. Both can be traced back to the same underlying problems in magical society. Both Voldemort and the problems witches face draw from common assumptions and traditions regarding inequality, power, and wealth."
"And if Voldemort isn't stopped," Jasmine pointed out, "then nothing we do with our little student group will amount to much in the long run." That, more than anything, sobered everyone up. It had been easy for them to ignore the return of Voldemort because it was so recent and hadn't impacted their lives. Now that it was being pushed in front of them, however, they couldn't ignore the fact that it would affect so many of their hopes and dreams for the future.
"What can we do, then?" Susan asked.
"Lots of things," Jasmine said, "but first things first: are we agreed on my involvement, at least in principle? The group will officially be about the issues we discussed last week, but unofficially we need to fight Voldemort. I'm reminded of a passage from the introduction of the book that started all of this: 'We emphasize wherever possible what witches can do — for ourselves, for each other — in staying healthy, healing ourselves, and working for change.' Granted, it said 'women' not 'witches,' but I think it's fair to alter it for our purposes. And the most important changes we can make are to first get rid of Voldemort, then fix the social, cultural, and political conditions that helped create him."
"I think it's a great idea," Daphne responded. When she saw some surprised looks, she explained, "Look, we know that You-Know-Who will make things worse, especially for us witches. Those who aren't killed for being impure or blood traitors will either have to become Death Eaters or brood mares for Death Eaters. I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm not thrilled by either option." She received a lot of agreement on that. "So he has to be stopped. You all know that victors write the history and to the victors go the spoils, so whoever is involved with stopping him will have a lot of power and political capital, both individually and as a group."
"It'll be really dangerous though," Hannah said, sounding very scared.
"You're right," Hermione admitted, "it will be. But it will be dangerous for everyone, whether they get involved or try to hide." Hermione took a deep breath before continuing, "Jasmine and I started learning some more, uh, dangerous spells recently, mostly for the tournament, but also partly because we knew she'd likely be facing other life threatening situations in the future." She had everyone's attention now. "I was very reluctant to go along with this at first because I didn't like the idea of learning how to deliberately hurt other people. It just… it didn't sit right with me."
Looking around, she saw many expressions of sympathy. "I'm still not happy with it. In the end, though, I realized that even just as a muggleborn, never mind as Jasmine's friend, I'd end up having to fight. That people who wish to eliminate the very existence of people like me would probably come for me someday. Unless I intended to run and hide, my only choices were to become as prepared as possible or just wait and hope for the best."
"Waiting and hoping for the best is rarely a good strategy," Padma chimed in to say, "not if you are able to prepare in advance."
"Right," Hermione agreed. "However much I don't like the idea of hurting people, I like the idea of them hurting me and my loved ones even less." Turning back to Hannah, she said, "With Voldemort back, you're in danger no matter what. Nothing, not even hiding, will protect you entirely. So you can prepare yourself and be as ready as possible to fight, or you can roll over and die."
Hannah wilted a little, and Susan put her arm around her best friend to offer a bit of emotional support. "My auntie has taught us both some basics about defending ourselves. Well, mostly me, but Hannah has joined in some as well. It looks like we'll have to go back and work a bit harder on that."
The fourth year students discussed several different issues that now faced them if they were going to shift the group's purpose, even if unofficially. Jasmine was nominated to organize private lessons in defense, though she insisted that Hermione help, since the bushy-haired witch was the one who had done the nominating. Susan was charged with getting information about emergency portkeys via her aunt, as well as anything else that the DMLE might have to offer.
Daphne volunteered to research spells for eavesdropping — she was thinking ahead about the children of families who might sign on with Voldemort and who therefore might be able to provide intelligence. Padma offered to research home defenses, both magical and muggle. Others volunteered to look into healing and other types of magic that might be useful. It was becoming far more complex and difficult than anyone had anticipated, but they had a very strong motivation and were more than a little heartened by the fact that there were so many others actively helping.
"If we're going to do this, we'll need a name for the group," Susan said before they all broke up to leave. "Something good that will inspire confidence and hope."
"How about Health Advocacy Group for Girls?" Hermione suggested.
"I guess that works," Susan said, "but..."
"But it spells out HAGG!" Tracey objected. Susan got a disgusted expression on her face.
"No, it's just H.A.G.G. But if you don't like it, what about Society for Health Advocacy for Girls?" Hermione suggested again.
"SHAG?" Daphne exclaimed. "That's worse!"
"And it's focused on health," Hannah pointed out, "even though the aims of the group will involve more than just health."
"Hardly the worst thing about that name," Daphne muttered while scowling at Hermione.
"Then let's use Girls' Advancement Group," Hermione responded, not seeming to notice any of the appalled looks she was getting. "That's pretty general."
"It also spells out GAG!" Padma complained. "I won't join a group that's named SHAG or GAG!"
"We also shouldn't limit it to just girls," Tracey said. "Although we may not attract many adults right now, we'll hopefully still be supporting this when we're adults... which is only a couple of years away, actually."
"OK," Hermione said, receiving fearful looks now, "how about Society for the Advancement of Ladies' Equality?"
"SALE?" Daphne asked. "Are you joking?"
"It's not SALE," Hermione objected, "it's S.A.L.E, and why not?"
"There are too many negative jokes to be had with that!" Daphne insisted. "Wizards will think we're all superficial and won't take us seriously!" She turned and shot Blaise a nasty look when he started snickering.
"Maybe we should make it clear that this is about and for witches?" Padma said, trying to move the argument into a more productive direction.
"Fine," Hermione responded, "how about Witches' Interests Group? That's still general."
"WIG... isn't horrible," Padma conceded, "but it's not great, either."
"I think it's horrible," Susan put in. "It reminds me of Lockhart. And it certainly doesn't inspire confidence."
"Witches Advocating Revolution?" Hermione said.
"I said confidence, not terror!" Susan objected. "Calling ourselves WAR will make opposition even worse!"
"Witches' Health Organization?" Hermione offered.
"WHO might work — if there weren't so many inappropriate jokes involving 'You Know WHO' that detractors would make," Daphne said bitterly.
"And if it weren't focused just on health," Hannah pointed out again.
Hermione went silent with an indecipherable expression on her face — at least, it was indecipherable to everyone but Jasmine, who had just been staring at her for the entire conversation. She had known that Hermione's ability to name things was bad, but this had revealed her to be far, far worse than could possibly have been expected.
Now, though, she could tell that Hermione was waiting for something. And Jasmine wasn't sure she wanted to know what it was, but she couldn't help herself. "What is it, Hermione?" she asked. "Out with it — what are you thinking?"
"Well," Hermione said slowly, "given everyone's preferences and limits, I'm certain that I have the perfect name."
"Oh?" Jasmine asked with more than a little trepidation.
"Yes," Hermione said rather primly. "Society for the Promotion of Equality for Witches."
Both Jasmine and Neville groaned and let their heads hit the table with a loud thump as Hermione held up an all-too-familiar, round object and said, "I even have the buttons already made."
"SPEW?" Susan asked incredulously.
"No," Hermione responded, "It's S.P.E.W.!"
"It's also a disturbingly, even distressingly, appropriate name," Daphne ground out reluctantly. "The full name, I mean." Blaise was now only barely managing to hold in his laughter.
"You're right, it is," Tracey said, looking a bit green.
"I do have a couple of other ideas," Hermione offered, "just in case you'd like some more options..."
"Merlin, no!" Padma exclaimed. "We've had enough! We give in!"
"Let's all... sleep on it, or something," Susan suggested. "Maybe vote on a final name next time? I mean, if anyone can come up with anything, uh, decent?"
"I'll go along with that," Hannah responded. "That gives us plenty of time to finalize things before the 15th, which is the full moon and is thus a good date for launching new magical ventures."
Tuesday, April 6, 1995, Night.
After finishing their mind magic practice, and just before Hermione left Jasmine's bed to go to sleep, Jasmine asked, "Hermione, have I ever told you that you're awful at naming things?"
"Why do you say that?" Hermione responded with an innocent expression.
"Those names you suggested earlier this evening!" Jasmine exclaimed "They were horrible! How could you possibly think that a group designed to support witches should be named SHAG or GAG?"
Hermione was getting out of Jasmine's bed by this point, but before she exited completely she said, "It's not SHAG, it's S.H.A.G. And besides, whatever gave you the idea that I really thought anyone would go for those names?" And with a quick smirk she was gone, leaving Jasmine to gape open-mouthed at the spot where her girlfriend had slipped out between the curtains.
"She... I... she..." Jasmine spluttered incoherently. "She did that on purpose! She was playing us the whole time! She did that so people would think SPEW was good in comparison! That... that... ooohh!"
